Trial Against a Monster
by BeautifulWeddingFlower
Summary: Violette Brooks' rape trial against Jeff Hardy. I've completely given away the surprise twist at the end of NKOTB.


I know I'm like, super behind on this, but I figured to make up for me not updating New Kid on the Block, here's VIolette's rape trial. Oops. By the way, Vi gets raped my Jeff Hardy. I've completely given NKOTB away. Dammit. Well, enjoy and please do leave a review since I spent six months working on it. :D Thanks a bunch.

* * *

A young woman with long blonde hair and startling icy blue eyes stared blankly out into the crowded airport, seeing the people, but not actually _seeing_ the people. Her beautiful face was twisted into an unhealthy frown, and she looked so forlorn that most people actually noticed her standing there alone.

An average-sized man with tattoo sleeves and a black goatee came up and laid a hand on the teenager's arm. "Vi, it's time to board the plane."

The teen's blank stare moved from eternity to the man and softened somewhat, but she didn't smile. "Yes, dad."

"Don't worry about it, Violette; that fucktard is going to jail for what he fucking did," the man growled, hands clenching into fists. If the language bothered Violette, she didn't show it. She shrugged and began walking back toward the terminal where they were boarding the passengers for the flight to New York. Her face remained passive, even as a certain blonde Texan came up and embraced her lovingly.

"Ready to go?" he asked when he had pulled away. His forever-changing eyes studied her face for a moment before smiling reassuringly. "Smile."

Looking as though it took her a great effort, Violette smiled the tiniest of smiles. The man looked back to her father. "Is she okay, Phil?"

The man, Phil, scowled and crossed his arms. "She's going to testify against a man who raped her, Shawn. I don't think so."

Shawn sighed and placed one hand on her shoulder. "You'll be able to sleep on the plane, Purple Butterfly."

Violette didn't respond, merely stood and checked into the plane, leaving Shawn and Phil alone in the terminal.

"Who's meeting us there?" Phil asked after several moments of dealing with airport security. Shawn sighed again and hoisted his bag higher on his shoulder.

"The Cenas, Paul, and then it's just you, me, and Violette. And her testimony will be the one that puts him away."

Phil's brow furrowed. "He will be put away, right?"

"Phil, the man was high and drunk, was found with cocaine, and raped your daughter. She's testifying against him with a sane mind. Of course he will. No jury in their right mind wouldn't." They stooped slightly to get in the plane and smiled at Violette, who was comfortably settled in her first class seat, headphones in, eyes closed, music turned up so loudly that they could hear it pounding through her headphones. "She just wants to forget it."

"I just want her to forget it," Phil murmured. Shawn nodded.

"Maybe she will one day," he tried hopefully. Phil shook his head and signed, but said nothing, merely laid back in his own seat and watched as the plane began to leave the ground.

* * *

"Hey...Vi..."

The teenager didn't respond to the timid voice from her friend. She continued to work out as hard as she had been before, never stopping. Her friend sighed and went back to leaning against the wall in the hotel's gym, biting his lip nervously. Violette had been hard at work practicing her kickboxing for nearly an hour now and though streams of sweat were trailing down her face and body like rivers, she showed no signs of stopping. The punching bag was beginning to cry out from the force behind her fists and he was worried that she was going to hurt herself. "Vi, if you don't stop and rest, I'm going to get Phil."

Violette made no motion to him to show that she heard him. He sighed again and left the room. Shortly after the door had shut behind him, Violette slowed to a stop and pulled out her earplugs. Sweat trickled down her face and neck and she stripped down to her sports bra and her skintight biker shorts, wiping her face with the shirt. The huge punching bag swung slowly in a circle as Violette sat down near it, flexing her hands and studying them. They were not only badly bruised, but were cut and bleeding. Fuck, now tomorrow they would pull the whole "she definitely could have protected herself, she let him have sex with her!" and she didn't want to go through it. Brian was right, she should have stopped back when her mind left into her memories. She had no recollection of continuing to punch the bag, but apparently, she had kicked the hell out of it...

She had gotten lost in her thoughts again and didn't hear Phil walk in and gasp at first. "Vi? Vi!"

Violette glanced up to her father. "Hey."

"What the fuck did you do to your hands?" he asked idly, fingers brushing over her knuckles. "What did I tell you about working out to the point of forgetting everything?"

"I wasn't..." she murmured. "I forgot I was working out...I didn't know that I..."

"That you what? Forgot that you were kickboxing? Vi, you can't keep thinking on this. If you do things like this, it could hurt you worse than you already are."

She didn't say anything for a while, and they just sat there on the sweaty gym floor until she finally said what had been on her mind since news of the trial. "They're going to make me out as the bad guy, aren't they?"

Phil sighed. "Probably. Hardy's defense will be rough. They'll use your friendship as evidence against you. Just tell the truth, baby girl."

"What if..." she sounded fearful, like his answer might mortally wound her. "What if the truth isn't enough to make him go away?"

His hands wrapped around her again and she looked up to lock eyes with him. "It will be," he said firmly. "Let's get you bandaged up."

* * *

"All rise! The honorable Judge Tanner presiding," the security guard yelled out. A middle aged man with tawny short hair appeared and sat down in the chair behind the desk. Violette swallowed and tugged nervously on her shirt, twirling the silk between her bandaged fingers.

"You may be seated," the judge said sternly. As everyone sat down, the judge riffled through some papers, pulling one out and studying it. "The cases of Violette Brooks verses Jeffery Hardy; one count malicious rape, one count molestation of a minor; and the people verses Jeff Hardy; three counts of drug use, one count molestation of a minor, one count rape. Mr. Hardy, can you please state again your plead?"

"Not guilty, that is to say, innocent," Hardy drawled smoothly. Tears pushed against the back of Violette's eyes, but she fought them back tirelessly. The judge grunted irritably and shot a slightly masked glare at him.

"I'm sure. Would the offense like to call its first witness?" the judge asked. Violette's lawyer nodded and looked over at the passive teenager.

"The prosecution calls our key witness, Violette Brooks," he called out. Violette sucked in a deep breath and stood, pointedly ignoring everyone's eyes as she stood in front of the chair on the stand. When the security guard came up with the bible, Violette crinkled her nose, but gingerly placed her hand on it.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you god?" he asked with a stern glare. Violette's eyes narrowed into a glare of her own and she softly agreed.

"Miss Brooks, could you please start out by telling us how old you are?" her lawyer asked.

"I'm fifteen years old, Mr. Brandon," she replied. Mr. Brandon nodded and continued to walk around the courtroom, not really looking at her.

"Tell me, Violette," he leaned against the podium and jerked a thumb back towards Jeff. "Do you know the defendant?"

She swallowed and pushed an emotionless gaze at Hardy. "Yes sir. That's the man who until my thirteenth birthday, I considered a close friend. He's also the man who raped me."

The court and jurors murmured nonsense words she couldn't hear. Pencils and pens scribbled furiously. Violette closed her eyes briefly.

"Miss Brooks," Mr. Brandon said softly, "Can you please describe the night that Mr. Hardy raped you?"

Violette took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, eyes staring vacantly above her to the rafters. "It was a few days after my birthday. I was in New York City for a show with Raw. I had...messed around with some Divas earlier that night and had twisted my elbow and shoulder up pretty badly when I fell awkwardly. The on-site doctor bandaged me up and put it into a sling, so I couldn't use my left arm. It was about twenty minutes before the show ended, and seeing as though I wasn't going to be needed anymore, I told Vince McMahon I was bailing and took a taxi back to the hotel I was staying at."

"And with whom were you staying with?" her lawyer asked.

"Paul Lévesque, who was acting as my bodyguard of sorts. And before anyone starts in on me about that, I'll have you know that I trust him with my life, as does my father."

"No one was judging you, Violette," Mr. Brandon said soothingly. "Please continue."

She waited a few seconds to let the crowd settle before sighing. "I thought I'd lost my key, so I went up to the desk clerk and asked for a new one. She went into the back, I found my key, yelled that I'd found it, and left. I assumed Paul was either at the show or at a bar with some friends, so I wasn't really concerned when he wasn't there when I showed up. The only thing on my mind was how quickly I could get music playing, a hot bath running, and some cherry scented candles lit.

"I hadn't been in the bath two minutes when _his _voice showed up."

"His voice, Miss Brooks?" Mr. Brandon interrupted, looking confused. Violette swallowed, looked directly at Hardy and whispered two words that cemented him to the trial forever.

"_Jeff Hardy's._"

Her accusation threw the entire court into not-so-whispered whispers. The judge had to bang his gavel several times to get everyone to stop talking. "Order! Order in my court or I'll have everyone thrown out! Order!"

"Miss Brooks, you said you got a bath. Wasn't your arm bandaged and in a sling?"

She smiled softly. "I took the sling off and unwrapped my bandages with the intention of rewrapping it when I was done with my bath. Besides, anyone could have clearly seen there was something wrong with my arm; it was purple and black and blue and nasty looking from my forearm to my shoulder."

"Continue."

"I sat up and glared at him - probably said a few choice words that weren't exactly nice either - and told him to get out. He didn't. We argued for a few minutes and then he..." her voice broke and she fell silent for a few moments.

"He what, Miss Brooks?" her lawyer pressed. Violette sighed and looked back down at her tightly clasped hands.

"He...he picked me up by my bad arm and threw me on Paul's bed..." Tears pricked at her eyes and she blinked rapidly to push them away. "He jumped on me and held me down...I was screaming...and then he hit me..he kept hitting me and finally I was knocked out..."

"Is that all you remember, Violette?"

She shook her head and this time couldn't stop the tears from beginning to spill over her cheeks. "He...he woke me up after he had finished tying me up...I..I..I...I was hurting all over, my face was burning, I was so cold..." Her arms wrapped around her torso and she hugged herself tightly as she rocked back and forth in the chair. "He was sitting on the edge of the bed _leering _at me...h-he looked at me and he s-said...'You've grown up, Violette...let's have some _fun_." Tears spilled down her cheeks and she was shaking from the memories she had been repressing. "Oh my God, he started touching me and kissing me and I was too shocked, too scared to do anything...I just _sat _there, I didn't do _anything, _why didn't I fight? Why didn't I fight?" she shrieked. "Oh, and there was so much _pain_, _so_ much pain and I was screaming...it felt like I had been ripped in half...please, God, someone help me! Help me please, daddy, he's hurting me! Make him stop! _Make him stop!" _

"Miss Brooks!" Mr. Brandon shouted. Violette didn't move, her wide and watery gaze fixed on the mahogany wood of the bench, her bandaged hands twisting and thrashing around her poor shirt. "Your honor, can we...I'd like to suggest a recess? Please?"

"Yes..." the Judge murmured, his sympathetic gaze fixed on the shaking teen. "One hour. Court is adjourned."

His gavel's loud bang snapped Violette back to life, and she slumped on the bench, black tears cascading down her face. Jeff smirked at her as he passed and even bumped Phil as he left. Phil ran up to Violette and pulled her into his arms. He whispered nonsense words as he pulled her away from her place. Mr. Brandon picked up his briefcase and held it in front of her face as he and Phil tried to push through the crowds of press.

"Violette! Violette! Now that you've accused Jeff Hardy, how will this affect your life?"

"Are you positive that it was Jeff Hardy who raped you?"

Someone grabbed at her hands and she snapped. "_Don't fucking touch me!" _she screamed out, throwing a punch out at the person who touched her. Phil grabbed her hands and dragged her out of the courtroom. A door slammed shut behind them and Violette burst into a fresh wave of tears.

"Great job hitting her with the really fucking hard questions now," Phil grouched at Mr. Brandon. "Really Jack, now she's a mess."

Jack Brandon sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I had no choice. His defense will be much harder. And the jury needed to hear her part of it."

"Are you gonna put her back on the stand?"

"Not if I can help it."

"No," Violette gasped, sitting up and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Shit, why didn't I wear waterproof? I look like a raccoon."

"What do you mean no?" Phil snapped. Violette pulled out a small makeup bag and began rifling through it, obviously looking for her mascara. "Vi?"

"Look, dad, I have to get back out there, hysterical crying or not. I've been forcing myself not to think of it. That's why when I described it..." she winced, thinking about it. "...I just...I just couldn't take it. I can fight it. I'm strong."

Her dad didn't look convinced. "Vi, baby-"

"No! I want to put this fucker in jail, goddammit! He should be raped like I was!" she shouted, slamming the hand that wasn't wiping off makeup on the table. Mr. Brandon jumped and shot a look at Phil that told Phil that he agreed with Violette.

Phil sighed, obviously accepting that he was not going to be humored. "What do we suppose we do now, Jack?"

Jack Brandon sighed and ran a hand through his short black hair. "We get food."

"And a fucking wet cloth," Violette muttered, wincing when she poked her eye with the tissue.

* * *

Twenty minutes later Violette, whose eyes were still red and watery, was eating a Big Mac from McDonald's alone in the room while Jack and Phil were talking to people. She swallowed harshly and growled at the murmur of press outside the door. "Go the fuck away," she muttered, casting a glare at the door. Legally, they weren't allowed to come in, but that didn't stop them from crowding around it. Violette wanted to punch every single one of them in the face with the technique Adam had taught her.

"Hey, clear the way! Yeah, I fucking said it! Move, leeches!"

She looked up with a confused look. _Paul? _

The door burst openwith a bang and her two favorite people strutted in. Shawn and his best friend strode in like they owned the place and sat down beside her. "Damn, all the publicity is turning you into Miley Cyrus," the friend joked.

Violette gave him a look and shoved at his shoulder. "Haha. Really, Paul, if that's all you and Shawn came in here for..."

Shawn grinned and popped a french fry into his mouth. "How are you, ViBi?"

"Fine," she mumbled, taking a bite of her sandwich to keep from having to say anything else. She didn't miss the exchanged knowing look they shared. "I'm _fine_, honestly."

Paul rubbed her shoulder. "Okay honey."

She growled. "Stop it! I can take care of myself fine! Thanks!"

Shawn laid his head on her shoulder. "No one said anything, Violette. You're getting paranoid."

Said girl dropped her hamburger and ran a hand through her hair. "I want to put Hardy away, but I don't want to get in front of people again."

"I know. I know," Shawn whispered. "If I could, I'd help you."

"You gotta be strong! Look him in the eye when you accuse him! Since when have you ever cared about what dirt sheets say?" Paul exclaimed.

Her shoulders sagged. "These aren't dirt sheets. These are the real deal and my face is going to be on the covers of millions of magazines. People who aren't even wrestling fans will see this. And I...I'm scared. Scared about what his supporters will say and do."

"Pathetic," Phil spat suddenly. Violette looked up and winced at the disgusted look in his eyes. "You're gonna let a couple of stupid, redneck freaks control you? What kind of WWE Diva are you?"

She looked down at her hands. "Sorry."

"Way to be supportive, Phil," Paul said sarcastically.

The door opened and Jack poked his head in. "We're needed in the court."

Violette stood and hastily rubbed her eyes. "I'm ready. I won't let him get me again."

* * *

"Order! Order in the courtroom! Court is in session! Mr. Brandon, do you want to continue the questioning of your witness?"

Jack stood. "No, your honor."

"And is your witness competent enough to be questioned herself?"

Violette bit the inside of her cheek to keep from speaking, but she shot an angry glare at the judge. Judge Tanner ignored it.

"Yes, your honor, Miss Brooks has decided to continue with her testimony."

"Very well. The defense may call its first witness," Judge Tanner said idly. Hardy's lawyer stood and shot Violette a nasty grin.

"Defense calls Violette Brooks to the stand," he said in a nasally-sounding voice. Violette gritted her teeth and aggressively got to get feet. She stared Jeff down as she was sworn in.

Shawn leaned over to Phil. "She's doing better. She seems determined not to let this get to her."

Phil smirked proudly. "Atta girl," he murmured.

"Miss Brooks," Hardy's lawyer began with a slight chuckle. "You said you were fifteen years of age, yes?"

"Yes."

"And you met my client when you were how old again?"

"Eleven or twelve."

"So you've known my client for a total of about three or four years, correct?"

"Is there a point to this?" she snapped. "Yes, I have known Jeff for several years. So?"

"So, _Miss Brooks_, in those three or four years you knew my client, was he ever aggressive or did he ever cause you to feel sexually harassed?"

"Yes. Not so much in the first couple of years, but near the end of his contract with WWE, he was very antagonistic towards me. Also, on his last scheduled match, he kissed me. Full on the mouth. In front of thousands of people."

"But it was scripted."

"No, it wasn't."

"Isn't ad-libbing part of your career?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said sarcastically. "I forgot you were a WWE expert, right? There's no way you can possibly pin him kissing me full on the mouth at thirteen in front of thousands of people on me. That's pedophilia, and he's lucky we didn't sue him for it."

The lawyer looked over at Judge Tanner, who snorted. "She's got a point, Marcus."

Marcus glared furiously at Violette, who was sitting back in her seat and smirking victoriously. Phil grinned at Shawn, who looked worried.

"Hate to burst your bubble, princess, but I do have something that I can pin on you," he sneered. He strode back to his desk and collected various papers before striding back and nearly throwing them at her. "Can you identify those, Miss Brooks?"

Violette frowned and picked up a wrinkled sheet of paper to read. After a moment, her eyes widened. "What the...where did you get these?"

"Answer the question, Miss Brooks," Marcus replied stiffly.

She swallowed. "They're letters I sent to Jeff when I was twelve."

"Can you read the one you're holding to the court?"

"This is ridiculous. I wrote these when I was twelve years old-"

"Just do it."

Her glare could have split iron in two. She glanced down at the paper and cleared her throat. "Jeff, I love you so much. You make me laugh everyday. Don't worry about spring cleaning coming up; I already have you in the clear. And don't worry about anyone opposing it, Vince trusts my choices one hundred percent." She stopped there.

"Go on," Marcus said gleefully. Her eyes hardened into ice.

"No."

"Miss Brooks," Judge Tanner piped in. "You have to continue reading or I will hold you in contempt of court."

Violette growled under her breath and glared back down at the paper. "Jeff, you've gotta quit the drugs. I may have saved your butt this year but what if I can't next year? But it's okay, because I believe in you. I love you Jeff, and I don't want to lose you."

"Is there anything else you wrote?"

"No. That part of the letter ends there. Jeff's part starts next."

"We don't need to read that," Marcus replied.

"Like hell we don't! You're not gonna paint me out as the bad guy, bro."

Marcus slammed his hands down on the podium and regarded her with a slimy glare. "Look, princess, you're not gonna tell me how to do my job."

"Objection!" Jack Brandon called out. "Your honor, this is getting quite ridiculous."

"Agreed. Ask a question or dismiss her, Mr. Jackson. Arguing with a fifteen year old who is getting the better of you isn't appealing."

Jackson's face flushed dark red and he shook with anger. Violette played with her hands and shot a satisfied wink at her dad.

"Fine, Miss Brooks. Read the rest of the letter please."

Violette cleared her throat again and smoothed the paper out. "My dearest Violette. Thank you for saving me. I had heard rumors they wanted to fire me. I owe you one, love.

"I _am _clean, Vi. I swear I am. I swear I haven't touched that shit since last May. It's hard, but it's all thanks to you, my sweet. How about we go out tomorrow night after Smackdown's taping and get food to celebrate? My treat. I love you, Vi baby!"

Jackson looked suddenly sullen. "No further questions," he mumbled, walking away. Violette stood up and shot the passive Jeff a victorious smirk.

"Ha, you fucker, I've called your bluff," she murmured nearly silently. Judge Tanner sighed and glanced at his watch.

"Court will pick up again tomorrow at nine in the morning. Court adjourned."

The murmur of various voices sounding suspicious break Violette's smirk. She hugged Jack. "I did it!"

He smiled faintly. "We're not out of the water yet, Violette. There's still a long battle before us."

"'Celebrate the little victories'," she quoted. "How about ice cream?"

"I think that's plausible," Phil said. "That was the funniest banter with a lawyer I've ever seen. Well done."

"Why thank you, Dad," she muttered sarcastically, "I feel so much better now that I've got your seal of approval." They made their way over to the courtroom doors and forgetting the flood of paparazzi outside of it, Violette opened them. "Ack!" she screamed when the many bulbs of cameras went off at once, blinding her. "Sonovabitch!"

"Hey!" Jack yelled, grabbing her arm. He, Shawn, and Phil shoved through the mob of people.

"Violette! Any words on accusing Jeff Hardy of rape?"

"That last session was shocking. Were you really that close to Mr. Hardy?"

"Did Hardy really kiss you?"

"Stop. Stop. Stop," Violette chanted angrily as her three bodyguards ushered her out the court building and into a waiting limo. She pouted once seated. "I couldn't talk to those guys?"

"I thought you didn't want to," Phil said.

"Well no. I don't. But I do want to drag Hardy's name through the mud."

"There'll be plenty of opportunities to drag Hardy's name through the mud without having to go to the press. In the meantime, we need to discuss the trial. I didn't expect Marcus to hit a low blow like that. If he's willing to bring up old letters you two wrote when you were twelve, then he's willing to do other stuff as well. That's what worries me. Do you have any other stuff that Hardy could use to make him the victim?"

Violette's face screwed up in concentration. "I don't think so...but for all I know, Hardy could have pictures of me in a bikini and call it child pornography I sent him. I dunno."

Shawn snorted. "Why would Hardy have pictures of you in a bikini?"

"Jeff kept everything I gave him in a box," she remembered with a horrified look. "He took pictures all the time and there must be hundreds of them...pictures of the two of us doing everything..."

The three adults all exchanged worried glances before Jack said what was on all of their minds. "This isn't good."

* * *

"Mmm...pistachio..." Violette sighed happily as she slurped a spoonful of her favorite ice cream into her mouth. Shawn watched bemusedly as he sipped his coffee. "This is the best ice cream ever."

"You are my child," Phil joked with a small laugh. He ate a spoonful of his own pistachio ice cream.

"Yes, well here's to a job well done and one large leap in this trial!" Jack said enthusiastically. "First day and we've already put the defense on the ropes!"

"What happened to not celebrating the small victories?" Violette laughed. Jack looked slightly embarrassed but shrugged it off.

"What the hell. Let's just celebrate. Way to not let Marcus get to you," he replied.

She smiled and licked a bit of pistachio off of her spoon. "Why thank you, sir. It was kinda funny."

"You owned that guy. We should have had a counter for how many times you owned him," Phil said. He ruffled Violette's hair. "Atta girl. Way to be a Diva."

"Thanks Dad!"

"You were very brave. What made you so brave?" Shawn asked.

"I don't know. I just didn't want to disappoint Dad. Plus, I know I won't be able to rest until Jeff is behind bars." Her face grew deathly serious. "I need him to go away. Then maybe my insomnia will go away and I can stop popping pills."

"Still having problems with your sleep then?" Shawn sighed with a sympathetic look. She shrugged and nodded.

"It's weird. It's like whenever I try to go to sleep, something keeps me up. Like a tick or something inside me. It never happened before the rape."

"Maybe it's something psychological?" Jack tried.

Violette shrugged again. "I don't know. I've gone to the doctor and they've done sleep tests but he's got no explanation for it. It's a peculiar thing, really." She grimaced. "I don't want to keep taking sleeping pills. They're addictive."

"She really is your child, Phil," Shawn mumbled. Phil grinned and shrugged. "Straight edge to an annoyingly obvious point."

"I resent that, good sir," Violette giggled, jabbing her spoon towards him. She smiled widely. "I'm not addicted yet. I just can't sleep without them."

"That's the whole definition of addicted, Vi," Phil groaned.

She paused for a moment and her face looked almost curious, but then she raised one shoulder in a sort of a half shrug and bit into her ice cream again. Shawn looked over her shoulder and stiffened. "Uh, guys..."

They all turned and Violette started choking when she saw Matt Hardy and his girlfriend walk up to the counter.

"Dammit," Phil hissed under his breath.

"Is that Hardy's brother?" Jack whispered.

"Yes," Shawn replied quietly. He reached out a hand and set it on Violette's shoulder. "Be strong, Purple Butterfly."

Violette was still and quiet. Her eyes were oddly bright and wide in her face. They glimmered almost unnaturally in the light. She was watching the elder Hardy obsessively.

Matt, who seemed to have just noticed the presence of the girl his own brother raped, locked eyes with her and smiled slightly. He waved a little and the tension went out of Violette's shoulders. She turned back to the table and resumed eating. "It's okay, guys. Just relax."

"Just relax?" Phil whispered fiercely. "That is Hardy's brother over there-"

"Who just smiled and waved at me," she interrupted firmly. "Like I said; chill."

"Hello Violette, Phil, Shawn. Long time no see," a shaky southern voice drawled from behind her. Violette turned and smiled easily up at Matt, who gave her a nervous grin. "You look good, Vi."

"I've seen better days," she replied honestly. His grin faded into a worried frown. "Don't look so worried Matt. We're not gonna castrate you for being Jeff's brother."

"I wanna apologize," he said softly, "For Jeff. And me. I'm so sorry, Violette. I had no idea, I swear to God I didn't. All I knew was that he seemed to take a keener interest in you lately. Oh, God, why didn't I know about him using coke like that?"

"Matt," she breathed. "Oh, Matt, it's fine. He did it, not you. It's not your fault."

He was almost sobbing now. "I'm so sorry, Vi. I'm so sorry."

His girlfriend -a petite woman who looked as though she was desperately trying to cling to color even though it was apparent she was faded- looked over and shot the group an anxious smile, which Violette politely returned. The woman's brown gaze dropped to her sundae, which she played in. Matt seemed to be regaining his composure, and he smiled weakly at Violette. "I'm glad you don't hold animosity."

"Remember WrestleMania 25? And the weeks leading up to it, and all the fun we had?"

"Yeah?"

She stood up and hugged him tightly. "Think of that. Think of the fun. Don't think of anything but the amount of fun we all had."

* * *

"I don't think I've ever seen you so calm in the face of danger," Shawn remarked idly as Violette stretched during her warm-ups. She frowned. "Back at the ice cream parlor, I mean."

"What danger? It was only Matt."

"Who could have easily blamed you for ruining his brother's life than apologizing for Jeff ruining yours."

She shrugged and circled the worn punching bag briefly, stretching the slightly stiff muscles in her shoulder before throwing the first punch of many. "I didn't really see it as danger. Now, me being in the same room as Hardy? That's danger."

Shawn looked worried. "Jeff's got to testify tomorrow. It won't be easy. You know you can't stand up and yell that he's lying, right?"

She roundhouse kicked the bag and stumbled a bit before replying sarcastically, "Nah, just thought I'd bring a gun in and shoot his ass. Make it much easier on the rest of us."

Shawn watched her bemusedly. "You amuse me, ViBi."

"I try," she grunted through a series of small jabs. Sweat trickled down her neck and dripped off her face. Her feet ached. Her wrists were crying out from the force she was punching the bag with, and the bandages on her hands were red with fresh blood from the cuts reopening. "I ought...to stop..."

"Then stop."

She threw a particularly nasty punch and then drop kicked the bag. It creaked in agony. "No. I don't want to."

"Why is that?" he asked patiently. She sighed and wiped a red streak across her forehead from the bandages.

"Makes me feel better. Makes me not think of the trial."

"You just said you weren't worried."

"I'm not. But I am. I don't understand what I'm feeling."

"Well, what are you feeling?"

She groaned and threw her whole body into the punches as she answered him. "It...hurts to think about it...like my head is buzzing and it won't shut up...I can't think straight and everytime I think of Hardy, I..." she fell silent and stopped punching the bag. "I'm scared, Shawn. Scared of the future."

"It's not something to worry about. You don't have to be at court forever. You've said your piece and now all you have to do is wait until Jack can tell you to go home."

"And if Hardy gets off scott free?" she demanded angrily, emphasizing her words with a small kick.

"He won't."

She looked extremely pensive. "I don't want to live with Hardy in the world if he does."

"Are you threatening suicide?" Shawn asked, looking horrified. She snorted and started circling the bag again.

"I don't know."

* * *

Violette was splayed out on the large bed, her eyes closed and face thoughtful. She had let her hair down from its ponytail and Brian was stroking it idly. The slightly older boy looked at her and sighed. "Vi?"

"Mmm?" she hummed softly. Her face was beginning to relax, and Brian wanted to punch himself for waking her up when she was almost asleep. "What?"

"I just...it's nothing, just go back to sleep."

She opened her eyes and regarded him with a ice blue glare. The corners of her mouth tipped downwards. "What?"

"It's nothing, I promise," he reassured her. "Don't worry about it."

Her eyes were dull. Sleepless nights ringed them darkly. She yawned widely, showing Brian silver fillings deep in her mouth. "So, when were you gonna tell John that you're gay?"

He sighed. "I'm not-"

"Bullshit," she interrupted him firmly. "Admit it."

He scowled. "Pushy, aren't we?" He sighed and thread his fingers through her hair again. "Yes. I'm gay."

"I knew it!" Violette laughed. Her hand pounded the comforter beneath them and her eyes flashed happily. "I called it! I mean, I didn't know at first, but then it got more and more obvious…oh, who am I kidding? I never knew."

"Let's just talk about something else, okay?" he begged. To his immense surprise, she shrugged and closed her eyes again. "You never...you never told me what happened between you and Jeff Hardy."

Her entire body went very still and for a moment he feared she had stopped breathing. But then she sighed heavily and raised a sad gaze up to him. "There's a lot to be said about Jeff and I," she began slowly. "But it all started with me a few years ago. My run with my Dad was nearing six months and I'd heard rumors of a new manager. Vince came and personally set us up." She sighed and her grip on his hand tightened. "After a few minutes of talking, I was hooked."

"But he doesn't seem like the kind of guy of would hurt people intentionally," Brian argued.

"Oh, he wasn't. Not at first anyway. At first, when I was young, he was a perfect gentleman. He held doors for me and held my hand and cared for me when I was sick. We became very, very close. And although I was happy, I didn't notice him using me. He was...well, the best way I can describe him is caramel. He's sweet, but sticky. He clings to people and doesn't like it when he can't have them." She sighed and a dreamy look spread over her face. "For the first couple of years, we were happy and content. Jeff was the crazy guy friend who constantly doted on me. We went through many feuds with others together."

"Sounds like a great friendship. What happened?"

She sighed. "When I was twelve, there was talk of Jeff using drugs again, talk I couldn't push out. The corporate office -mainly Vince- got involved and administered a drug test to Jeff. I'm a little ashamed to admit that I found out about it a week before and I warned Jeff. After that drug test, he changed, but I never noticed it. He was hostile, and he blamed me for a lot of things that weren't my fault, like a cab showing up late. He never touched me, but he would yell and scream at me until I was crying and then afterwards he would hold me and apologize over and over. It was things like that that changed me." Her grip on his hand relaxed slightly. "SummerSlam 2009 was when they bombarded Jeff with another surprise drug test, but this time they didn't tell me. He passed it, but was absolutely furious at me, because he thought I knew and didn't tell him."

She was quiet for a moment, but when Brian opened his mouth to ask if she was alright, she whispered, "That was the night he left bruises on my face and neck from hitting and choking me."

Brian gasped. "What? But I thought you said he..."

"Jeff felt awful about it afterwards, simply horrible. He held me while I cried and apologized at least a thousand times that night. He even held me close as I slept." Her eyes hardened into blue ice. "I wore heavy makeup for three weeks to fool people. To this day, Dad doesn't know Jeff choked me.

"After SummerSlam, there were a lot of drug tests, one almost every week. Jeff's name was being dragged through the mud in the corporate offices and it seemed like no matter what I said, Jeff was going to be fired. All they needed was a spark, something to pin the blame on him for. My father was behind the entire thing because he didn't want me near Jeff anymore." She smiled humorlessly. "That's why they moved me to Raw with DX, you know. They did it to keep me and my Dad apart. With me and my Dad traveling two separate paths because of work, we would never see each other and I wouldn't kill him. I was pretty pissed when I found out."

"How did you find out?"

Violette smirked dangerously, and for a second, he could see why most of the WWE was fearful in respect towards her. "I have my ways. But that's beside the point. I still need to tell you what happened when Jeff left."

He nodded and shifted a little. She took a deep breath and said, "In September, a month before I turned thirteen, Jeff's contract ended and, as a slap in the face -something the office thought would wake me up and help me get over Jeff- my father was the one to 'Get rid of him'. I guess Vince thought I would automatically side with my Dad, but I didn't. Jeff was everything to me at that time and the fact that my father took him away from me killed me. After I got to the back, Jeff told me that my Dad had set everything up and I just about murdered him. People had to pull us apart and I was still cussing and screaming at him. Vince sent me to Raw with instructions to work with DX, and Jeff promised to call and write, but he never did. By my birthday, I was a depressed mess. And that's why Shawn and I are so close. He pulled me out of the blue and back into what I would call the white. He also broke me cleanly away from Jeff. I never have hurt so badly ever since."

"Except when Jeff came back and raped you."

"Yes," she sighed. "Until he raped me, I was recovering quite well."

"So that's the full story?"

"It's the basic gist."

"You never told me Hardy touched you," Phil cut in quietly. Both teens looked up and over to where her father stood. Sorrow filled his green eyes. "Why didn't you tell me? And did you really blame me for all of that?"

"No," Violette said quickly. "I used to, but I don't anymore. Jeff tricked me into thinking that it was all your idea, you know that."

He frowned and sat down beside her. "I begged with Vince not to put you with him. _Begged, _Vi. I didn't want you to be near him because I didn't trust him. I'm so sorry, Vi. I'm sorry you had to go through that and I didn't even fucking notice."

She hugged him and squeezed tightly. "I love you, Dad. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just didn't want you to take me away from Jeff at the time."

* * *

"All rise! The honorable Judge Tanner presiding!" the bailiff called out. Violette stood up and smoothed her sundress down her thighs before anxiously sneaking a glance at Jeff. His eyes bored into hers and he offered a sly smirk. She gulped and faced back towards the front, heart fluttering in her throat. The judge was saying something to the jury, but his words were muffled and distant. Tingles spread up her arms and her hands shook.

Jack noticed this. He laid a hand on hers. "Are you alright?"

Even her words sounded jumbled and messy. "I don't know."

"Are you prone to panic attacks?" he whispered.

"Vi?" Shawn breathed, reaching out to touch her shoulder. She jerked away from the touch.

"Please...don't touch me, I'm fine."

"Mr. Brandon, would the prosecution like to begin?" Judge Tanner cut in. Violette shook her head and took deep, shaky breaths.

"Uh...no, your honor. We respectfully ask the defense to open the questioning," Jack said after a moment.

"Mr. Jackson, do you accept?"

"I do your honor. Defense calls Jeff Hardy to the stand," Marcus Jackson said calmly. Violette swallowed lightly and tried to still her breathing. "Mr. Hardy, why don't you explain your actions to the jury? Please explain your relationship with Miss Brooks."

Hardy clasped his hands and leaned backwards in his seat. He smirked. "What can I say? She was just a girl Vince gave to me as a sidekick. She fooled herself into thinking I cared about her."

A soft wheeze escaped Violette's mouth as soft murmurs and furious scratching of pencils on paper echoed around her. Jack took her hand under the table. Her eyes were unreadable, but they were flakes of ice. Her mouth was a thin red line against the pale skin and she looked very uncomfortable.

"You said she fooled herself into thinking you cared about her. Are you implying that you did not?"

Jeff snorted. "No. I never cared about her. And I didn't rape her."

"Liar!" she whispered fiercely. "How dare you lie to my face!"

"I never even liked her! She was just an annoying little brat who I was stuck with. She said that I wrote that note to her? Yeah, maybe, but I don't remember it. She's always been a manipulative little bitch and now she's singling me out." He slumped back in his chair and crossed his arms cockily. Violette violently stood up and her face was a ball of flames. She shook angrily. Jack wrenched her back down and rubbed her shoulder sympathetically.

"Language, Mr. Hardy," Judge Tanner snapped.

Jeff shrugged and crossed his legs. Violette shook with pent up fury at his laidback attitude. "Mr. Hardy," Marcus simpered nasally. "Why don't you tell us where you were on the night of question?"

Jeff stretched and sighed. "I was in the City, but I was nowhere near her hotel. A couple of buddies of mine took me out to a club. Yeah, we got a little hammered, but I crashed at a friend's place that night. I didn't go to a hotel and I didn't rape a fourteen-year-old."

Violette was slowly shaking her head as she glared at Jeff, tears running down her cheeks. He caught her stare and met it evenly, even going as far as to sneak a sly wink in her direction. She closed her eyes.

"Thank you, Mr. Hardy. No further questions." Marcus sat down and Jack stood up, trying to control his face.

"Mr. Hardy, if you were nowhere near the hotel and my client, then why are there police reports of you being arrested on that night? Why were your forcibly taken from the hotel? Why are there-" he grabbed a sheet of paper off his desk and stormed up to Jeff. "-hotel security camera pictures of you in the lobby?" With a loud slam, he thrust the picture in Jeff's face and folded his arms.

Jeff scowled and mimicked him. "How do I know those pictures are from that night?"

"The date, Mr. Hardy," Jack drawled. He pointed out a printed date. "Miss Brooks said she was raped on the night of November seventh, a week after her _fifteenth_ birthday, at approximately eleven-thirty. And is this your face in the same hotel lobby she is in?"

Jeff glared daggers at him. "Yes."

"Read the date and time please."

His angry green eyes dropped to the printed sheet in front of him. "November 7th, 2011."

"And the time, Mr. Hardy," Jack reminded him triumphantly.

"Eleven-fifteen at night."

"So, Mr. Hardy, you claim you weren't even in the same hotel as Miss Brooks, but this picture from their security cameras puts you at the scene of the crime. Why did you say you weren't there?"

Jeff bared his teeth and fell silent. Violette smirked. _Haha, got you fucker. Let's see you talk your way out of this one. _

"I didn't know that was the hotel she was at. That's where my buddy was staying at, you see."

Her mouth popped open in shock but Jack wasn't fazed. He simply turned to the judge. "I'd like to call Mr. Hardy's friend in for questioning."

"The court will issue him a subpoena. Mr. Hardy, what is your friend's name?" Judge Tanner asked as he picked up a pen.

Jeff scowled. "Shannon Moore," he muttered.

"No further questions for Mr. Hardy," Jack said. "Prosecution calls Violette Brooks to the stand."

Violette stood and walked around the table. She and Jeff glared each other down for a few seconds when they passed. Jack cleared his throat and that was enough to break Violette's glare. She sat down in the chair and crossed her legs.

"Miss Brooks," Jack began. "I understand that a rape kit was performed. Were there any results?"

She swallowed. "Uh. Yes. There were traces of sperm in uh...me. The doctors tested the DNA and it matched Jeff Hardy's."

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, if you'll direct your attention to the projection screen, you will see pictures of Miss Violette Brooks about an hour after she was raped." A man handed him a type of clicker and he switched the screen to a frontal picture of Violette. The left side of her face was swollen and red, her left arm was completely black and blue from bruises, and her wrists were rubbed raw and red from the sheets. Black hickeys marked the skin on her throat and chest. Her breasts were adorned with bite marks and black bruises. The photo stopped at her waist, but it was pretty obvious she had been badly beaten. Violette looked down and struggled to force back tears.

"This next picture is the rape kit analysis report the doctor wrote," Jack said quietly. He began to read it. "Name of victim: Violette Brooks. Age of victim: fifteen. Injuries: Multiple bruising on victim's neck and chest. Bite marks on victim's breasts. Left arm is swollen, twisted at the elbow, and black from bruising. Wrists have burns from restraints. Semen found in victim's vagina with recent laceration of the hymen." He cleared his throat and turned back to Violette. "Miss Brooks, were you a virgin before the rape?"

Slowly, Violette nodded. Jack turned away and changed the screen. "This, ladies and gentlemen, is the matching of Mr. Hardy's DNA and the DNA from the sperm collected from Miss Brooks. Now, I'm no DNA expert, but I'm pretty sure that they look identical, do they not?"

The jury murmured amongst themselves. Jack frowned and turned to Violette. "Violette, why don't you look and tell us if you think they're similar?"

"Yes, they're similar."

Jack looked up at the judge. "No further questions."

"Mr. Jackson?" Judge Tanner said, looking at Hardy's lawyer. The little man stood up.

"The defense rests," he replied sullenly. Jeff was looking murderously at Violette, but she managed to smirk victoriously at him.

"Very well. You may step down, Miss Brooks. Court will pick up again on Monday. Court adjourned." He banged his gavel and left the room. Violette sighed and dropped her head in her hands. _That was harder than expected, _she thought.

Arms were around her shoulders and she lifted her head to see a crop of blonde hair. "Hey Shawn."

"You alright?" he asked, sounding worried. She nodded slightly.

"Better than Hardy," she replied with a smirk. He was being led away by the bailiff as she spoke. He glared at her and mouthed, _You're fucking dead. _She rolled her eyes and got to her feet. "I'm done here. It's time to go."

* * *

She was on the roof of the hotel she was staying in, a cold breeze nipping at her exposed skin. She drew her knees up to her chest and sighed heavily. Above her, the sky was a cloudy dark blue. Not a single star could shine through the glare of New York City's lights. Violette sighed again and stared out over the horizon to where the Statue of Liberty stood erect. _I wish none of this had ever happened. I wish Jeff had never come into my life. _

"You know, wandering off onto a random roof is not exactly the smartest thing to do," Phil said, breaking the silence. She turned her head and scowled at her Dad.

"I was up here alone for a reason."

"Yes, I know. I know you can't sleep. Did you take your sleeping pills?"

"No."

"Well, why not?"

"Because I'm tired of taking pills to sleep!" she exclaimed angrily. Her hands curled into fists against her legs. "That's not very straightedge of me, is it?"

Phil sighed. "Sometimes you have to break the pledge so you can get medical treatment. Right now, I just don't want you drinking or smoking weed or some shit like that. Sleeping pills won't bother me."

She was quiet. Phil sighed again and sat down beside his daughter. "Look, Vi, you shouldn't worry about this. We've already got Hardy on the ropes! He's going to be found guilty and he's going to be put away for a long, long time." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his chest. "I promise ViBi, I won't let you get hurt by him anymore. I swear on my own life."

"You promise?" she asked softly, cursing herself for how weak her voice sounded.

His grip on her tightened. "I promise."

* * *

Many weeks and trial days passed. Marcus and Jack went all out in trying to pin blame on the other side. Violette was reduced to tears often, and Hardy would stick to his belief that he was innocent, even when presented with overwhelming evidence against him. People were called to testify over and over, but Violette's and Jeff's was definitely the ones that mattered the most. Eventually, after a month of tears, accusations, and hate-filled glares, the jury reached its verdict.

Violette was biting the nails on her right hand down to the quick as the jury filed back into their seats slowly. Jack was holding her left hand in a reassuring grip. A young woman stood up and looked expectantly at the judge.

"Has the jury reached a verdict? Judge Tanner asked quietly. The room fell completely silent and Violette was suddenly aware she wasn't breathing.

"Yes we have, your honor," the woman answered in a fluid alto voice. She cleared her throat and looked down at the paper she was holding. "We, the jury, find the defendant Jeffery Hardy guilty of two counts of malicious rape, two counts molestation of a minor, and three counts of drug use."

Violette felt her knees wobble. Her heart swelled and a huge smile broke out over her face as tears dripped down her cheeks. Jack squeezed her hand. "Oh my God," she sobbed, collapsing. She sank into her chair and covered her face. "Thank you. Thank you so much..."

Judge Tanner cleared his throat. "Per request of Miss Brooks, I will sentence you now. Mr. Hardy, I sentence you to ten to fifteen years in the state penitentiary. You will be eligible for parole when Miss Brooks is twenty-one." He banged his gavel and stood up. "Bailiff, take him away."

Violette wiped her eyes and smiled triumphantly at Jeff. "What comes around goes aound, huh Jeff? I hope you make lots of boyfriends in jail."

"You bitch," he snarled, trying to leap at her. "You think you've won? Oh no. It's only just begun, my dear." He started laughing manically, and as the two cops led him out of the courtroom, he screamed, "I'll see you when you're twenty-one! I love you Violette, my dearest!"

"Dude needs to get laid," Violette scoffed. She smirked. "Have fun in prison, Jeff."

Phil engulfed her in a back-breaking hug. "I told you. I told you he wouldn't get away."

Shawn smiled from afar. "Congratulations, Vi. _You_ _did it_."

Violette smiled and sighed deeply. When she opened her eyes again, they sparkled. "I did it." She turned to Jack. "It's all thanks to you. I couldn't have done it without you." She hugged him. "Thanks."

Jack hugged her back tightly. "You are so welcome. I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you for being so brave."

Violette smiled and pulled away. "So, now what?"

"I should be asking you that," Phil chuckled. "What now, Vi?"

She thought for a moment, and then smiled again. "Now, we move the fuck on. We look towards the future."


End file.
